Fortis
Fortis Marinemaster 40 mm Meteorite 18k
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Fortis · Marinemaster
Fortis Marinemaster 40 mm Meteorite 18k
Reference 78725OR.30
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Fortis
- Collection
- Marinemaster
- Model
- Fortis Marinemaster 40 mm Meteorite 18k
- Reference number
- 78725OR.30
- Year / era
- 1980 · 1980s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- Automatic Powermatic 80
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Octagonal with 8 hexagonal screws
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 28C — Automatic Powermatic 80
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1980 – 1993
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Fortis Marinemaster 40 mm Meteorite 18k sits within Fortis's Marinemaster line, introduced in 1980. It carries the house codes established since 1912 — 18k rose gold case, meteorite dial and automatic powermatic 80 — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Fortis
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1912
- Founder
- Walter Vogt
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- Flieger, Marinemaster, Stratoliner, Novonaut
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Certified chronometer regulation · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- Automatic COSC chronometer · Automatic, 38-hour reserve · Automatic Powermatic 80 · Quartz
- Notable watches
- Fortis Flieger 43 mm Silvered Sapphire (1970) · Fortis Flieger 37 mm Green Grade (1978) · Fortis Flieger 42 mm Silvered 18k (1966) · Fortis Flieger 38 mm Meteorite Grade (1974)
Brand history
Fortis has spent more than 114 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Flieger, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Walter Vogt established Fortis in 1912, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Fortis calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1912
Walter Vogt founds Fortis in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Fortis to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Fortis enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Fortis continues to produce Flieger, Marinemaster, Stratoliner and other icons in limited numbers.